Hindi/Urdu - I think it would be worthwhile to point out that Hindi and Urdu are mutually intelligible when speaking, but are written completely differently. If you wish to learn Hindi or Urdu, you can always look on the other discuss for help, especially since the romanized versions are used. Also, Baloch_sis looks in the Urdu section and provides alot of very good help.

Here is an explanation of what I am referring to-

[quote]Hindi and Urdu: sister tongues

The difference between the two languages, when spoken in purer form, is not quite the same as that between English of the Americas and that of the United Kingdom. Indeed, an effective illustration is that an Urdu speaker would be largely flummoxed by a Hindi newscast (the assumption being it is pure Hindi) and a Hindi speaker would find an Urdu newscast equally unintelligible (the assumption being it is pure Urdu). However, in day-to-day life, in casual speech, the spoken forms of the languages realign on a more level and mixed plane.

The blend of Urdu and Hindi is known as "Hindustani". It is perhaps the lingua franca of the west and north of the Indian subcontinent, though it is understood widely in other regions as well. Blending Urdu, Sanskritized and regional Hindi into a common vernacular, Hindustani is the preferred medium of language over highly Arabicized / Persianized Urdu or highly Sanskritized Hindi.

This can be seen in the popular culture of Bollywood or, more generally, the vernacular of Pakistanis and Indians which, while utilizing a good deal of Hindi verbiage, is interpersed with large amounts of Urdu, hence making the language of Bollywood movies sound as much Urdu as it is Hindi. Minor subtleties in region will also affect the 'brand' of Hindustani, sometimes pushing the Hindustani closer towards Urdu or towards Hindi. One might reasonably assume that the language spoken in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (known for its beautiful usage of Urdu) and Benares (a holy city for Hindus) is somewhat different. A humorous way of putting it would be that the Lucknow lehejaa (accent in Urdu) is of a different shade than the Benares ucchaaran (accent in Hindi).

Hindustani, if both Hindi and Urdu are counted, is the third or second most extensively understood language in the world after English and Mandarin.[/quote]